I don't own the characters or Kamen Rider. Hope you enjoy this little idea I had.
"Why is he asleep?" Hiiro motioned to Emu as he entered CR.
"He's been writing more letters," Parrad explained.
"Activating a gashat and letting the people take over his body isn't actually helping to free the people stuck in those gashats…"
"He feels like it helps though because it lets the people stuck write to their families. He's doing the best he can. There are another 50 letters ready to send. He's been at this for a week and still through only half the gashats."
"Well, we need to find a way to actually free them. Plus, he needs to wake up now, the hospital is overrun with patients and there are too many doctors out," Hiiro dropped a stack of files onto the table, "Get him started on these. I'll be down in OR because apparently there are no other surgeons on duty."
Hiiro left as Parrad shook Emu's shoulder.
"Hmm?" Emu blinked sleepily.
"You have patients to attend to."
Emu bolted up, "I wasn't supposed to fall asleep!"
"You needed the rest. Here's the cases from Hiiro. I'll be here playing games if you need me."
"Where did Poppy go?"
"I think she's checking in new arrivals in one of the other departments since CR has been empty."
Emu nodded as he picked up the files and headed to work. Normally the files were all in one or two departments but with so many doctors out of town for conferences or sick with the flu, the files were just thrown in order of arrival regardless of department.
Emu ran to the pediatric ward to place a cast on a young boy who broke an arm. The patient was soon sent home. Another boy needed stitches after breaking a window but he was also quickly fixed and sent home.
"Don't forget to use the trial stitches from that new company next time," Poppy reminded as she glanced at his paperwork.
"Right," Emu nodded with his eyes in the next file. An elderly man was in hospice and needed his dose of pain reliever. Emu quickly administered the dose and continued to the next few patients, all in the urgent care for flu symptoms. After finishing the first stack of files, Emu was headed back down the pediatrics to see if any new patients had come in. On his way he was stopped by a nurse.
"The old man in hospice kept complaining about pain. I think you gave him too low a dose," a nurse informed as Emu yawned.
"Alright, let me go double check," Emu gave a small smile before heading off. He administered more medicine after realizing he only gave a half dose before.
Another young child, a girl, needed stitches after a car accident. Emu remembered to use the trial stitches and sent her on her way. After checking on a few ICU patients, Emu got a call that the girl had been sent back.
"These stitches have popped off; you must not have done a good enough job. She's been through enough today with the accident," the mother scolded.
"I'm sorry about that," Emu tried to calm the mother as he grabbed the regular stitches and got her cleaned up again, "This will work better."
"I should hope so," The mother growled as she pulled her child away toward the ER where her husband was checked in after the wreck.
Emu sighed as he leaned against the desk at the nurse's station. "We need to tell that company the stitches don't work right before we get more patients with complaints," he told Poppy.
She nodded then ordered, "Go check on Hiiro and see if he needs any help."
Emu headed down to find Hiiro cleaning up after his last surgery.
"Take these files to be sorted," Hiiro ordered, "I'm going to check OB because I've heard there is a patient who might need a C-section."
Emu didn't even get a word in before Hiiro walked away. Emu helped a few nurses file papers and enter the information into the computer system. Three hours later they finished and he met up with Poppy again.
"You need to eat. You've been here since 6 am without a break," she reminded.
"I had a nap by accident, but that was around 11," he glanced at his watch, it was already almost 8 at night, "Good thing they are approving overtime, I was supposed to have left hours ago."
Emu and Poppy sat in the cafeteria as Emu picked at a salad. Kiriya sat down next to Emu, "We need to talk."
"Hmm?"
"Let's go down to CR, I don't want to talk in the cafeteria."
Emu raised an eyebrow but followed him. Poppy waved as she headed off to help a few other nurses.
"What's up?" Emu sat at the table. He briefly greeted Parrad who was playing a hand held game on the couch.
"I've been doing an autopsy for the patient of yours that passed away a few days ago. His symptoms matched with the disease you treated him for, however I discovered he had a rare form of cancer that wasn't showing up on any readings."
Emu put his head in his hand, "Did he die from the cancer or from the medicine…?"
"The cancer would have killed him very soon, but I think he had a bad reaction to the medicine."
"So if I had found the cancer he wouldn't have died?"
"I don't think the cancer would respond well to treatments, he would have passed within a week or two anyway."
"But he would have had another week or two with his family, right?"
"Don't beat yourself up, Emu. Many doctors would have treated him just as you had," Kiriya tried to comfort before leaving the CR.
Emu went out to the roof for some fresh air. Staring out at the city, a few tears rolled down his face thinking about his patient.
"Emu, I'm heading home. I've heard you made a few mess ups today, maybe focus on your job a little harder. You aren't an intern anymore," Hiiro reminded as he left, Emu still facing the skyline.
A few minutes later Parrad came out, "Emu, you need to go home and sleep. You've not taken a day off in a week, at least get some kind of rest."
Emu simply nodded in agreement before heading down to CR to get his bag but as he entered Poppy informed, "We have a new patient and everyone else from CR has gone home."
Emu sighed and nodded. After a few hours, the bugster was taken care of, the patient was feeling better and was going home. Emu collapsed on the couch, "I don't know if I can walk home."
"You basically live here, why keep paying rent on your apartment?" Parrad wondered.
Emu sat up quickly, "What is the date today?"
"The 4th why?"
"I forgot to pay rent," Emu slouched back. His leg started bouncing a bit as he scrolled through his phone. After a few minutes more of him started shaking, little by little. "Ok, I paid rent and I apparently forgot my phone bill so I paid that now too."
"Emu, why are you shaking?" Poppy joined them.
"Oh," Emu tried to stop his shaking but his leg soon started bouncing again. "I'm going to go get some air."
Parrad came onto the roof about ten minutes later to find Emu sitting with his head resting on his legs, still visibly shaking.
"Emu?"
Emu wiped a few tears from his eyes before he stood up, "What's up?"
"That's what I came to ask you."
"Just a long day," Emu looked out at the city again.
Parrad noticed Emu clenching and unclenching his fists, "You are having a panic attack."
"I'm fine, Parrad."
"Don't lie to me, Emu. I know everything about you."
"Like I said, just a long day."
"I don't understand doctors sometimes. They want to help others so badly that they don't focus on their own health."
"I'm fine. I just need some sleep."
"You've been having a lot more panic attacks lately. You've been trying to hide them and your stress from everyone."
"I might be a little stressed, but there's been a lot going on at the hospital lately. It's part of the job."
"You aren't a miracle worker, Emu. You are allowed to take a break."
"I know, once I find a way to free those people from the gashats, I'll take a vacation or something."
"You said the same thing about defeating Cronus too. You keep pushing off vacations, days off, sleep, eating. I know you want to help your patients but if you aren't healthy and mentally with it, you could end up killing your patients."
"I already did."
"Kiriya said anyone would have treated him the way you did. But you don't want to make any careless mistakes."
"Maybe. I guess I can take tomorrow off. Let's go home."
Emu and Parrad headed home and Emu passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.
"We need Emu to come in if he can, we are getting slammed again today," Hiiro said over the phone.
Parrad, who had stolen Emu's phone, responded, "He really needs the day off."
"It better not be to play some new video game," Hiiro growled.
"Not everything Emu does is about video games. He really cares about his patients," Parrad was almost shouting into the phone.
Emu came out of his room stretching, "What's going on."
"Nothing, Emu."
"Who are you talking to?" Emu heard Hiiro's muffled voice coming from the phone. He grabbed it from Parrad's hand, "What's going on?"
"We need you but Parrad says you aren't coming in today."
Emu sighed, "I'll be there as soon as I can." Emu hung up the phone.
"You are supposed to take the day off, remember?"
"I got," Emu glanced at the time, "5 hours of sleep. I'll be fine."
"If you won't listen to me, I'm staying home. I'm not going to watch you destroy yourself."
Emu rolled his eyes, "I'll see you later then."
About 5 hours later Poppy found Emu in the CR breakroom with all the lights turned off. When she turned the lights on he groaned.
"Emu?"
"I have to get back to work," Emu stood but stumbled.
Poppy caught him, "You don't look good. Maybe you've got the flu that is going around?"
"I'm fine, just a small headache."
"Your hands are shaking and you look extremely pale. I'm calling Parrad to come get you."
"Poppy, I'm fine."
"Emu, don't argue," she insisted, "I'll go to the director if you don't listen to me."
Emu sighed and nodded. He really didn't feel good. He was panicking and had a terrible migraine but he also knew at home he would be panicking about his patients anyway. Parrad soon arrived with an I-told-you-so look on his face.
When they got back to Emu's apartment, Parrad handed him some medicine, "Poppy told me to give you these." Emu took them without arguing and crawled into his bed.
When he awoke he looked at the time. He'd slept almost a whole day.
"I'm late!" Emu stumbled out of bed.
Parrad was soon at the doorway, "You're off for two days. Directors orders. You slept through most of one though."
Emu rolled his eyes, "Did you make him give me a day off?"
Parrad shook his head, "I think it was Poppy."
Emu fell back onto his bed, "It's been so long since I've had a day off."
Parrad could tell Emu was starting to panic, "You need to relax. Let's play a game."
Emu knew he couldn't argue so he went and picked out a game.
When he arrived at work a couple days later, he was still worried about his patients and the proto gashats but no longer on the constant verge of a panic attack.
He was greeted by the director and Poppy. Once Hiiro entered the director stated, "We are making a new rule for the CR department. All overtime has to be approved directly by Poppy or me. I won't name anyone, but it seems we have a few doctors who are getting too stressed because they are working 80-100 hours a week. We don't need stressed out doctors."
He looked at Poppy who added, "So remember, anything over 40 hours is to be approved by one of us."
Hiiro spoke, "Generally overtime is approved by the department head."
"Well seeing as your department head," the director stared at Emu smiling, "is part of the problem, Poppy brought it up to me."
Hiiro looked at Emu, "They made you take time off too?"
Emu nodded, "You never seem stressed though…"
"Just because he knows how to hide it doesn't mean he's not stressed," Poppy said as she plopped down a stack of files and smiled, "CR is empty right now so go help where you can."
After Poppy and the director left the room, Emu commented, "I like how he says he won't name anyone but there's only two of us that aren't bugsters in CR."
"Sorry if I was pushing you to work more."
"It's fine, I'm just surprised you were stressing out when you worked overtime. I thought you enjoyed it."
"I do enjoy that I'm helping patients, but this line of work can tire you out quickly," Hiiro admitted, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but I think you're doing great, in both CR and the other departments."
Emu was surprised but just nodded and smiled as he headed out to tend to his patients.